Loss of RNA Chaperone Hfq Unveils a Toxic Pathway in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

ABSTRACT: Hfq is an RNA chaperone that serves as a master regulator of bacterial physiology. Here we show that in the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the loss of Hfq can result in a dramatic reduction in growth in a manner that is dependent upon MexT, a transcription regulator that governs antibiotic resistance in this organism. Using a combination of chromatin immunoprecipitation with high-throughput sequencing and transposon insertion sequencing, we identify the MexT-activated genes responsible for mediating the growth defect of hfq mutant cells. These include a newly identified MexT-controlled gene that we call hilR We demonstrate that hilR encodes a small protein that is acutely toxic to wild-type cells when produced ectopically. Furthermore, we show th

SUBMITTER: Hill IT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6755729 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature